This invention relates to a cage trap for small animals, the trap being of the kind having a vertically sliding door at least at one end, an internal bait pan and a trigger mechanism connected between the bait pan and the door.
Traps of the above kind are known and are operated by raising the door, in slides, to an open position, setting the door in the open position by means of the trigger mechanism and baiting the bait pan. When an animal is lured into the trap by the bait and steps on the bait pan, the trigger mechanism is sprung allowing the door to drop closed under gravity and trap the animal.
Difficulties which may be encountered in the design and construction of such traps may include, for example, obtaining sufficient rigidity consistent with simplicity, lightness of weight and ease of manufacture, particularly in the slide structure in smaller size traps, to enable the door and trigger mechanism to operate reliably. Current door slides tend to be difficult to work with and assemble and do not always provide repeatability and reliability of door closure.
Although the materials are a significant expense in the production of cage traps, labor costs in manufacturing the parts and assembling the product are important considerations. Products of this nature comprise a multiplicity of individual elements, many of which are quite small, making automated production difficult.
Simplification of the manufacturing process results in improved productivity as well as more effective and dependable operation of the final product.
Cage traps of this type are often subjected to rough handling in use, sometimes resulting in distortion of the elements in a manner that affects the reliability of operation of some of the functional parts. A critical element of a cage trap, the trigger mechanism, which operates to release the door when a target animal contacts the bait pan, may be adversely affected with currently available structures.